I left for SoCal in 1982 and returned in 2020 due primarily to family all being here. Two really surprising things were how windy it gets and how there seemed to be a lot more flies and mosquitos back then (fewer bugs now). I don't remember it being so windy back then and it gets annoying sometimes. I missed the seasons, so don't mind the snow/cold in winter or heat/humidity in summer. In SoCal I spent thousands of dollars every year to go to the Sierras or Utah to play in the snow.
It is different if retired. If there is a snow dump, I don't have to go to work or school, so just chill out until the roads are plowed. Unlike when I lived in an apartment back then, my cars are garaged - no scraping windows. I have a Deere riding tractor with a snow blower, so clearing the driveway is not backbreaking labor. For me 2-3 cold months in winter and 1-2 sticky, hot months in summer is a small price to pay for how glorious spring and fall are.
In my opinion the seasons cause life here to be more "cyclical". Spring is graduation and planting, summer is swimming and outdoors, Labor Day marks the end of summer, back to school and football. Fall ushers in Halloween and Thanksgiving and winter is Christmas, New Years and people relaxing a bit. In SoCal the weather was constant and the whole year seemed to blend together. Christmas is more special when there is a little snow on the ground.
Besides enjoying the weather, I enjoy the slower pace here, how friendly people are, the lower cost of living and more common-sense politics (on both sides of the aisle). It is true there is "nothing to do here" compared to LA, but my last few years in CA I rarely did anything because everything was too crowded and driving there was a big hassle.
To answer your question specifically, my reaction was it is what I expected here, I adapted by buying some warm clothes, getting the snowblower and making sure my home and auto A/C worked, and beyond "tolerating" the summer and winter, I'm embracing them.
